Breakdown
by Shayna
Summary: The stresses of high school and being a cardcaptor are catching up to Sakura. Who will she turn to when she just needs to take her mind off things? S+S Possible E+T
1. Prologue

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Author's Note: Well, here I am again! I figured that I should start writing again because it truly relaxes me and I've been pretty stressed out lately. Well, I'm sure no one really cares about me, so let me give you a brief background for the story. (If you care.) Let's just say that the gang is about 16 and not all of the cards have been caught. (I might make up some lame cards, but the plot really doesn't revolve around them anyway.) This is, of course, a cute romance centered around Sakura and Syaoran, with maybe a touch of Tomoyo and Eriol. (I haven't decided yet.) Again, I'm not super sure of the Japanese plot and I'm (obviously) not sticking to it very well, but the use of the cards just adds to the drama. By the way, this is just a short prologue that I thought would be cute to include. The chapters will be much longer and the story line will get much better. The fluffy stuff comes later. Enjoy!

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Disclaimer: I (sadly) do not own Cardcaptor Sakura or any characters affiliated with it. They belong to the wonderfully talented CLAMP! Please don't sue me. Thanks!

Breakdown

By: Shayna

"SAKURA!!!"

"Huh…wha…what? Kero? What is it? I'm trying to sleep…"

"YOU'RE GOING TO BE LATE!"

"Huh" Sakura peered at her alarm clock. "HOEEEEEEE!!! I'M GOING TO BE LATE! KERO! WHY DIDN'T YOU WAKE ME?!?"

It was the usual Monday morning in the Kinomoto household. Running late, as usual, Sakura bounded out of bed and headed for the bathroom where she brushed her teeth while undressing for a five-minute shower. She had time enough to merely step in and step out. Still wet, she then raced back into her room to change into her uniform. 

"Kero, can you pack my bag?" she called as she hopped and fumbled with buttons, trying to simultaneously put on her blouse, skirt, socks, and shoes. A small yellow creature with wings was flying frantically around the room collecting and dumping school supplies into a small briefcase. Somehow, she managed to get everything on straight and began brushing her hair as she grabbed her bag and dashed out of her room. She stumbled down the stairs and grabbed a piece of toast. Everything and everyone around her was like a blur of colors. 

"Ohayo!" she quipped as she ran out the front door and slammed it shut.

A few moments of silence fell over the two left in the house as Fujitaka peered over his newspaper and Touya finished chewing the bite he had taken as Sakura had tumbled down the stairs just seconds before.

"Did you see something?" asked Fujitaka.

"Just a kaijuu," muttered Touya. 

Somewhere in the distance a little voice shouted, "SAKURA IS NOT A KAIJUU!"

Don't worry, the plot will get much, much better. This is just like a trailor. Think of it as a sample. It's just a taste of what's to come. And trust me, the good stuff is on the way. I figured I might as well put this out to tell everyone that I'm still alive and planning on writing more. (I know. There's not much to review here, but there will be.) Look for more soon! Thanks for reading!


	2. It Starts

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Author's Note: I just wanted to remind everyone that I don't know much about the Japanese language. (Just a few words that I picked up here and there.) Therefore, I'm not going to include the –chan, -kun, -san, etc. at the end of everyone's name because I know I'd end up doing it wrong. However, if anyone would ever like to tell me how to use the endings attached to people's names, I'd love to learn more about it. But for now, first names only. Also, a lot of Japanese I use in the fic is probably wrong, so feel free to correct me. (I'm just a poor American girl living off of poorly dubbed North-American anime! Help!) Anyway, enjoy the fic!

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"Ohayo!" she quipped as she ran out the front door and slammed it shut.

A few moments of silence fell over the two left in the house as Fujitaka peered over his newspaper and Touya finished chewing the bite he had taken as Sakura had tumbled down the stairs just seconds before.

"Did you see something?" asked Fujitaka.

"Just a kaijuu," muttered Touya. 

Somewhere in the distance a little voice shouted, "SAKURA IS NOT A KAIJUU!"

Breakdown

By: Shayna

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Faster! FASTER! Run, Sakura. Run! Hoe! I'm gonna be late if I don't pick up the pace! thought Sakura as she made a mad dash for the school. As it came into view, she glanced quickly at her watch. _Phew. Made it with 5 minutes to spare._ She slowed her pace to a brisk walk and continued on her way. She entered the building and made her way to her classroom while smoothing out the wrinkles in her uniform and straightening her hair.

Li Syaoran's senses suddenly flared to life as he felt her rapidly approaching the school. He smirked, wondering how she managed to get to school on time everyday.

"Syaoran…SYAORAN!" He jumped noticeably after being snapped from his little reverie.

"Must you be so loud, Daidouji?" he asked.

"Only when you're so far from Earth," she responded. "So, is she coming?" He blushed lightly at the comment.

"Running late, as usual," he replied.

~~~

"Breathe, Sakura. Breathe. You're cool. Calm. Composed," she whispered under her breath, prepping herself before she walked through the doorway.

"Ohayo minna!" she exclaimed with a smile as she entered the classroom abuzz with chatter. Scattered "Ohayo's" came from her classmates as she made her way to her desk and plopped her briefcase on the floor beside her.

"Good morning, Sakura," answered Tomoyo in a cheery tone. Sakura smiled at her in acknowledgement. She turned around in her seat and opened her mouth to say something, but when she looked up, she was met with the deepest pair of amber eyes. She froze just like that, with her mouth slightly open, as those eyes seemed to bore straight through her, reaching her very soul. She would never be able to describe the feeling she got when those eyes pierced through hers, but it sent a shiver down her spine.

"Good morning, Sakura," he said. She felt a little light-headed and forced herself to tear her eyes away from his for a moment to regain her composure.

"Good morning, Syaoran," she replied with a smile.

~~~

That smile…He was sure that smile could bring upon his downfall. He was certain that no man could live a worthwhile life without seeing that smile at least once. And wasn't he lucky? He got to see it at least once everyday. No matter how hard he tried to control himself, that smile always made his face burn. 

Just then, the bell rang, and Sakura turned back around as the teacher walked in.

"Good morning, class. Today, we'll begin with Algebra."

Syaoran couldn't help but chuckle to himself as Sakura groaned noticeably at the word "algebra."

~~~

Somehow, Sakura managed to survive until lunchtime finally rolled around. She was more than thankful to have this small amount of time to sit and giggle with all of her friends.

"Sometimes I just can't stand school!" exclaimed Sakura, plopping down next to Tomoyo.

"I completely know how you feel," replied Naoko. "I especially hate History. I mean, why do I care about a bunch of dead people?"

"Speaking of which," began Tomoyo, "how are you guys coming along on your reports?"

"Reports?" questioned Sakura.

"You know, the ones that are due tomorrow?" answered Chiharu. Sakura's eyes bugged out.

"HOEEE! I totally forgot that they were due this week!" She sighed. "Looks like I'm gonna be pulling an all-nighter. Not only that, but I have cheerleading practice today!"

"I'm sure you'll get it finished, Sakura," assured Tomoyo. Sakura merely sighed again. How did she manage to get herself into these situations?

~~~

The remainder of school passed by uneventfully, and Sakura soon found herself at her locker, piling books into her briefcase and grabbing her gym bag. She couldn't help but smile thinking about cheerleading. It was something that she absolutely loved to do, and it helped to keep her mind off of her troubles. Of course, she couldn't shake the horrible feeling of the report that she would spend all night writing, but for now, those things would have to wait. Besides, the soccer players were always out there while they practiced, and they made for much more interesting thoughts. She blushed just thinking about a certain auburn-haired soccer team captain.

Syaoran was already practicing with his team when the cheerleaders made their way out to the field. His eyes couldn't help but pick Sakura out from the crowd of jabbering girls. Their auras were naturally drawn to each other. Just then her eyes met his from across the field, and for a brief moment, everything around them seemed to vanish. No noise could be heard as they stood still, just watching each other. But all good things must come to an end, and as Sakura flashed him a brilliant smile, he only had the chance to curve his lips up ever so slightly before he turned back to the drill that they were working on. _That smile…Twice in one day,_ he thought.

Sakura watched him resume his drills, her eyes lingering on him just a while longer. She got that same feeling every time she looked at him, and it sent another shiver down her spine. _Those eyes…Twice in one day, _she thought.

Sakura had, at first, thought that her unique bond to Syaoran was weird and even a little scary. But as the years went by and their friendship grew stronger, she began feeling comforted by the ability to feel him before she could even see him. The more time that passed, the stronger his aura felt to her, and now she could feel him dimly in the back of her mind no matter how far away from him she was. When she thought about it now, she couldn't begin to imagine the absence of that feeling, and was thankful just to know that he was there.

Her thoughts quickly went back to her cheerleading squad, and she began her daily duties as captain to stretch and warm-up the team before rehearsing their routine.

~~~

Sakura arrived home a few hours later to an empty house. She was exhausted from her long day, and she was dreading her history report. Upon entering the kitchen, she found a note from her father on the fridge:

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Sakura-

I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to say goodbye this morning, but you were in a rush. I figured you had probably forgotten that I was leaving on an excavation today, but I will call you in the next few days to make sure that you're okay. Also, Yukito came by with last-minute concert tickets to a show out of town, so Touya packed his stuff and they left earlier this morning. It's a really long drive, so they will probably be gone for about a week. Sorry that you're on your own for so long, but I trust that you'll survive without burning the house down. Remember, no parties! I left some money for groceries and such in an envelope on the table. Please don't buy too much junk food. I love you very much and will talk to you soon.

Sakura sighed. She _had_ completely forgotten about her otou-san's excavation. Well, at least Onii-chan wouldn't be around to bug her. Still, the last thing she wanted to do was make dinner for herself. Nonetheless, she knew she had to eat, so she rummaged through the fridge and found some ingredients for a quick meatloaf. She cringed at the very thought of meatloaf, but it was the best she could do for right now.

She whipped the stuff together and shoved it in the oven. She then headed upstairs to start her report. She sighed again. When she entered her room, she was met with the beady eyes of a hungry guardian beast.

"Where have you been! I'm starving here!" Sakura sweat-dropped. _Typical_, she thought.

"Kero, you know I have cheerleading practice on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays! Besides, I haven't eaten anything yet, either. You're just going to have to be patient." She proceeded to shuffle around her room, gathering pencils and paper to assist her in taking notes. She booted up her computer.

"By the way, Onii-chan and Otou-san will be gone for about a week or so, so we're on our own, and you can come out of my room during the day. Also, I popped a meatloaf in the oven for dinner."

"Meatloaf!?!" Kero groaned. "What about dessert?" With that comment, Sakura stopped dead in her tracks, and turned around, staring at him with a face that could have terrified Clow Reed himself.

"You know what, Kero?" she started, suppressing her anger by balling up her fists. "I don't have time to make dessert right now! There are more important things than dessert! But if you would like some dessert, then you can haul your _lazy_ butt down to the kitchen and make some of your own! Right now, I've got a HUGE report to write for tomorrow, and I haven't even started it yet! So please, just BE QUIET and let me work!"

At this point, her knuckles were white, and she was glaring at him with eyes colder than The Freeze card. He could swear that steam was coming out if her ears, but he wouldn't dare say anything to her at this point. _Wow_, he thought, _I've never seen her this upset before. I have a feeling something else is bothering her other than this report._ The wise guardian beast decided that the safest thing for him to do at the moment was to give Sakura some space and consult someone who might know what was really going on with his mistress.

"I'll be at Tomoyo's house," he muttered quickly. He then flew out the window before she could respond. As she watched him go, Sakura sighed, slightly sorry that she had run Kero off like that, _but he was just asking for it_, she thought. _Oh well. _She logged onto the Internet to do some research on (insert famous Japanese person of historical significance here) who she had been assigned to write her report about.

~~~

About an hour and a half later, she had over two whole pages of notes (front and back) about some person she could care less about. However, she was thankful that she had found all of this information in such a short amount of time. _Thank Kami-sama for the invention of the Internet_, she thought. Suddenly, she began sniffing the air. _What's that smell…HOEEE!_ Her eyes bugged out at the realization, and she bolted down the stairs quicker than The Shot card.

Smoke was seeping from the sides of the oven as she entered the kitchen. She grabbed the potholders and opened it up. Billows of smoke emerged from the oven. She coughed from the inhalation, but tried to breathe in as little as possible. She dropped the hot pot into the sink and opened up some windows, fanning the smoke out with a dishtowel.

The smoke slowly dissipated from the room, clearing Sakura's view of her meatloaf. It was burnt beyond recognition. Still, she grabbed a spatula and tried to pry it from the pan. It wouldn't budge. _How could I be so stupid!?!_ she scolded herself. Her eyes began to water slightly. _What kind of an idiot doesn't put the timer on?!? _She was screaming at herself as she felt a hot tear slowly trickle down her face. _Don't be a baby, Sakura! STOP CRYING! _The more she yelled at herself, the more the tears came. She couldn't believe that she was getting so worked up over something so insignificant. That thought just made everything worse. Just then, the smoke alarm went off.

She could have just died at the irony of it all, but instead, she felt enraged, and with all her strength, she chucked the spatula at the smoke alarm, breaking it in half. The two pieces scattered across the kitchen as she fell to her knees and began to sob into her hands.

~~~

In another part of Tomoeda, Li Syaoran was practicing with his sword, as he did daily, when he suddenly fell to his knees and dropped his sword onto the floor with a resounding clang. Pain shot all up and down his body. He felt like he couldn't move. Now, Syaoran could take an inhuman amount of pain, but this was unlike anything he had ever felt before. It was as though his whole body was paralyzed from an extreme emotion. It actually scared him. And Syaoran hardly ever got scared. In fact, the only time he ever got scared was when he thought that Sakura might be in danger. And that was exactly what he felt at that instant.

Right then, Syaoran felt Sakura's aura as intensely as if she was standing right next to him in his apartment. He felt about a hundred different feelings emanating from her all at once. Anger. Sadness. Lonliness. Hopelessness. Fear. Vulnerability. It was all a big jumble, and it hit him all at once, making him feel dizzy and weak. He blinked a few times and took a few breaths, still kneeling, just to get his bearings straight. Once he recovered, he stood up and headed straight for the phone. His heart was beating like a taiko drum: loud, but incredibly fast. Without even thinking, his fingers dialed the familiar number.

~~~

Sakura heard the phone ring, but made no move to get up. She just sat there, the tears silently flowing. Whoever it was, she was in no condition to hold a conversation. After a few more rings, the answering machine picked it up. She heard her cheerful voice on the recording, and wanted to throw a spatula at that stupid machine as well. She heard the beep. Then there was a hesitation.

"…Hey, Sakura…It's me. Ano…I had this…bad feeling, and I…wanted to make sure you were okay…"

"H-H-Hello?"

"Sakura?"

"Hai, it's m-me," she spoke slowly, trying to sound as normal as possible after her frantic dash for the telephone.

"Sakura, daijoubu desu-ka?" She closed her eyes, pondering her answer to his question. Just hearing his voice made her feel a hundred times better. But she was still a mess. She just didn't know if she wanted to tell him.

"Ano…I'm fine, Syaoran," she replied. But she could tell that the tone of her voice was in no way convincing.

"Are you sure, Sakura?" He knew that she was lying, and he couldn't take the fact that something could make her feel as bad as what he just felt. But hearing her voice made him feel better in the fact that he knew she was alive and at home. Whether she was really safe or not was a whole different story.

"Sakura, you know that if anything is wrong, you can tell me, right? That's what friends are for, remember?" He waited for a reply, but none came.

"Sakura?" No answer. "Sakura? Are you there?"

"Hai, hai. I'm still here. Gomen. It's just that I…" A tear slid down her cheek. She tried to breathe in and out slowly to compose herself, but it just wasn't working.

"This is gonna sound so stupid to you, Syaoran. *sniff* In fact, it's too stupid for me to even bother you with…"

"Sakura, what's wrong?" Silence. "Please tell me." There was genuine concern in his voice, and she just couldn't hold it all in. He heard her sobbing gently on the other end.

"I…I have no food. *sniff* And…and my kitchen is full of smoke. And…my smoke detector is in pieces, *sob* and I yelled at Kero," she was fully crying now, but she couldn't stop herself, "and now he's gone, and everyone's gone, and I'm crying over burnt meatloaf, and I just can't stop. *sob* And I know it's stupid, and I feel even stupider telling you about it, because you, of all people, probably think this is the lamest thing in the world…"

"Sakura, I'm coming over."

Hehehe. Boy, I know you guys are totally gonna kill me for that cliffhanger. Well, this fic is turning out better than I had expected. The first half-page of this chapter just sat on my screen staring blankly back at me for a few weeks. I honestly couldn't think of anything to write. I knew that once I got going I'd be able to crank out a good three pages worth all at once, and I finally did. Sorry it took so long, but I hope you found it worth the wait. I sure did. Well, any of your questions, comments, flames, etc. are always welcome, and I'm just dying to hear from all of you! Sorry if this fic is just a teensy bit darker than my last one, but please note the title, and also, you can trust that there will be a light at the end of the tunnel. I know it doesn't seem too romantic now, but it _will_ get there. Also, I'm sure that I must have majorly screwed up on the Japanese in this chapter. I'm such a wannabe. (Not to mention a loser.) Anyway, anyone who wants to help correct me, feel free! I always like learning something new. Guess that's it for now. PLEASE REVIEW! Thanks so much!


	3. Comfort

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Author's Note: If you haven't yet noticed, I'm afraid that I've decided not to include any kind of an E+T relationship in this story. Sorry for all you hardcore ET fans, but I didn't want to have to weave them into the plot. Hope you enjoy this next chapter!

Breakdown

By: Shayna

Within ten minutes of the phone call, Sakura stopped cleaning the kitchen to answer the door. She couldn't help but smile slightly at the sight she was met with when she swung open the entryway. There stood the almighty future leader of the Li Clan at a complete loss for breath, clutching a plastic grocery bag, and clothed in tattered gray sweatpants and a loose green tank top. Sakura couldn't tell if the sweat was from his sprint over to her house, or from the intense training that he must have been in the middle of right before he called.

"I brought you some food," he stammered in between breaths.

For once, Syaoran didn't care how lame he sounded. All that mattered was that he saw her, and that she was okay. It took a few moments after she invited him inside for him to regain his breath completely, but soon enough, he was as good as new. As he looked around the kitchen where they were seated, he noted that it didn't look as bad as she had described it to him over the phone. Another relief was the fact that Sakura's cheeks were no longer stained with tears. But her eyes were still red, and he could still see and feel the pain that was hidden behind them. It seemed to him, in the brief moment that he gazed into her emerald orbs, that they had lost the brilliant luster that had once lit up a room.

"I cleaned up a little bit," said Sakura, breaking the silence between them. "You know, you really didn't have to come over, Syaoran. I'm okay now. And I feel bad that you left your training on my account. It was stupid for me to get so upset about burning my food."

"You're not stupid, Sakura," he said. "Besides, you sounded like you could use some company." He flashed her a quick smile, and then proceeded to empty the contents of the plastic bag onto the table. He was sorry to admit that there wasn't much in it, but he was more concerned about getting over to Sakura's as quickly as possible than he was about packing a gourmet meal. Once he had finished setting out the rolls, rice, and cold beef onto the table, he began preparing plates for each of them to pop into the microwave.

Sakura could only watch him puddle around her kitchen like it was his own. All of his movements were swift and precise, executing the desired task with complete accuracy. Before she knew it, there was a hot plate of rice and beef, with a warm roll accompanying it in front of her.

He was just like that. Always looking out for her. Sakura sometimes wondered why he cared so much. Sure, she would do anything for him if he needed her, but Syaoran was different. It wasn't that he had no feelings. She knew that his emotions were probably more intense than hers. It was just that…well, he rarely showed them at all. So why would he show his concern so willingly now? 

She suddenly felt a pang of guilt. He had come all this way because she had overreacted the way that she had on the phone. He was such a good friend.

"Arigato gozaimasu," she mumbled. "But you really shouldn't have gone through all of this trouble just for me."

"Nonsense," he replied. They ate for a few moments in silence. He studied her a while, watching her eat, and tried to sift out her feelings through their connection. They were so close, sitting but mere feet from one another, but her feelings felt a mile away. It was like she was blocking him somehow. Nonetheless, he could still get a general sense of her emotions, and they were nowhere near normal. He would have probably dismissed her sadness to having a bad day at school, but he couldn't ignore the intensity of what he had felt from her during his sword training.

As she sat across from him, Sakura tried to suppress any sadness still lingering within her. When she thought about it now, she wondered why she _had_ gotten so emotional over the meatloaf incident. When she was with Syaoran, everything else just seemed to matter less and less. 

As she slowly began to relax, she could vaguely make out the familiar feeling of him trying to see her thoughts. It sounded weird, but she knew that's what it was, because they often did it to each other when they were by themselves. Sometimes she'd try to poke around in his mind to get a better picture of his thoughts, but it never really worked. The best they could do was absorb the feelings surrounding their auras. 

"I already told you, Syaoran. I'm fine." Her sudden dialogue cut his thoughts short.

"I didn't say anything."

"You don't have to say anything. You're doing that thing. You know, you're trying to analyze my thoughts." She didn't really dislike it, but she was sometimes scared that it might actually work. And at the moment, she had too many thoughts and feelings that she would rather keep to herself. "Not only that, but I can kind of feel your concern."

"Oh?" He sometimes wondered about the extent of their bond. "What else do you feel, Sakura?" She looked him right in the eyes. And that's when he saw the light that had been absent from them flicker back to life again.

"I feel…better now," she replied with a genuine smile. He smiled back and they continued eating.

It was a complete mystery to Sakura how she could feel so much better just by being around him. She was much less tense, and started reaching her aura towards his. Naturally, they met halfway. There were a hundred things that they couldn't explain about their connection, and this was one of them. It was just natural for them to reach their auras out to one another, and seek each other out when they could feel themselves growing nearer. Perhaps it was the fact that once their auras met, they both felt an overwhelming warmth envelope their entire body. It was a comforting feeling that neither of them could describe, and it only added to the mystery.

"So, how are you coming along on your history paper?" questioned Sakura with a mouth full of rice. He swallowed.

"Well…I kind of finished it last week," he started. But knowing full well that she was probably still working on it, he added, "But it was only because I was bored and had nothing better to do. I'm sure you were busy with more important things." She chuckled lightly at his lame attempt to make her feel better.

"Well _nothing_ is more important to me than history!" she imposed sarcastically.

"Well then I guess that puts me one slot lower on your 'Most Important Things' list," he mock-pouted. She smirked.

"What I meant to say was that nothing is more important to me than history _except_ for the all-powerful, invincible, super-suave, smooth-talking, incredibly handsome hunk, Li Syaoran."

"Aw, you think I'm handsome!" She rolled her eyes at him. 

He was glad to see her getting back to normal, but he couldn't forget about that feeling he got back at his apartment… For now, he simply agreed to help her finish her history paper, so once they cleaned off their dishes, they headed upstairs. Sakura swung her door open and…

"What's the Chinese gaki doing here!?!"

"Kero! His name is Syaoran, and he's going to help me finish my paper!" The small guardian beast had completely startled the two as they walked in. "When did you get back, Kero?"

"Just a few minutes ago." He was still eyeing Syaoran suspiciously. "How long has _he _been here?"

"None of your business. Now if you don't mind, we've got work to do." And with that, Sakura and Syaoran set about the task of composing a history report on (insert famous Japanese person here.) Meanwhile, Kero had seated himself on Sakura's dresser and had his arms crossed over his chest, supervising the scene to make sure no harm came to his mistress.

Syaoran could feel Kero's death-glare pierce into the back of his head as he leaned over Sakura to type something. This situation just seemed to get more and more uncomfortable.

Sakura was very much aware of her close proximity to Syaoran. Of course, that wouldn't have been bad at all if Kero wasn't right behind them, watching their every move. When Syaoran was around, Kero acted exactly like Onii-chan. Sakura couldn't help but smile inwardly when she thought about the resemblance in the way that they both glared at Syaoran. They even called him the same names! 

Three cups of coffee later, the two felt that the paper was as good as it was gonna get. 

"Well, _I'd_ give it an A," remarked Syaoran.

"Gee thanks. That can be my argument when sensei hands it back to me all marked up in red pen. 'But Syaoran thought it deserved an A!'" They both chuckled. "Actually, though," Sakura continued, "I really appreciate you helping me out. I don't know if I would have gotten it done without you."

"Not only that, but you would have starved." Sakura elbowed him lightly in the side. She glanced at the clock.

"Yikes! I didn't realize how late it was."

"That's because you downed three cups of coffee."

"Thank you, Sherlock, for that keen observation."

"All in a day's work, my dear Watson," replied Syaoran in a British accent.

"Okay, you can shut up now, Syaoran."

"Jolly good!" Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Well, I suppose you should get going now, before we have to head off to school again. Arigato again for everything, Syaoran," Sakura spoke as she led him down the stairs and to the front door.

"Don't worry about it. And remember, I'll always be here if you need me. That's what friends are for, ne?" Sakura nodded. Just as Syaoran turned to leave, Sakura stopped him.

"Syaoran?"

"Hm?" He turned and looked up at her, but her eyes were cast down at the ground. Suddenly, she lifted her head and their eyes met. She was trying to hold back tears. She spoke very quietly.

"Ano… You're such a good friend. I really don't know what I'd do without you, Syaoran." He stared into the depths of her two jaded pools and spoke to her gently.

"You'll never have to do without me, Sakura. I'll always be here for you."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Well, that does it for this chapter. Don't worry. It doesn't end there! There's still much more to come! I hope you enjoyed this installment, and even if you didn't, I'm sure you have something to say about it. Please review! Thanks to everyone who had already reviewed this fic. I really appreciate it, and look forward to reading more. I LOVE getting feedback and ideas from my readers, because it is my mission to provide material that YOU enjoy! Thanks again!


	4. Battle

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Author's Note: Well, it's been a bit longer than a little while since I last wrote. I swear, every summer I promise myself that I'm going to write more, but I always end up getting caught up in the real world. Bummer. Well, now it's winter, and there's no better time than the present to continue my work from the past. Let's see if I can still write a decent sentence.

__

"Syaoran?"

"Hm?" He turned and looked up at her, but her eyes were cast down at the ground. Suddenly, she lifted her head and their eyes met. She was trying to hold back tears. She spoke very quietly.

"Ano… You're such a good friend. I really don't know what I'd do without you, Syaoran." He stared into the depths of her two jaded pools and spoke to her gently.

"You'll never have to do without me, Sakura. I'll always be here for you."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Breakdown

By: Shayna

It was dark. She couldn't see. Maybe her eyes were closed? No. They were definitely open. It was just too dark to see anything. And she was standing in the middle of it all. Or was she standing? From what she could tell, there was no ground. So what was supporting her? Was she being supported? Maybe she was floating. She couldn't tell. It was just too dark.

She began to grow uneasy. She was all alone. She hated being alone. And she couldn't see what was out there. Just as she was about to call out for someone, she heard a voice.

"Sakura…" it whispered. She whirled her head around in hopes of finding the origin of the voice.

"Who's there?"

"Sakura…" another voice called from a different direction.

"Who are you?"

Different voices began calling her name. Her head shot frantically about, but it was too dark. She couldn't see anything! They were everywhere now. Where were they coming from? She was surrounded by voices. She tried to pay attention to each one, but there were too many. Then they started shouting. They were shouting at her! She couldn't escape them. It was too much. They all wanted too much from her. She felt her inner self being torn in all directions. The voices kept getting louder and louder. She felt them so close around her. They were suffocating her! She cried out for them to stop, but they were relentless. She started shaking, and the tears flowed in torrents down her cheeks. She curled up into a ball and hugged her knees to her chest. She cried out for him.

Syaoran shot out of bed. He was breathing heavily. He glanced at the clock. It was just past four in the morning. A terrible feeling coursed through his veins. It ran deeply through him and he couldn't shake it. What had just happened to him? He didn't remember dreaming at all. The only thing imprinted in his mind was Sakura's terrified voice screaming his name. It couldn't have been real, could it? He tried to convince himself that it was just a dream. That had to be it. He was just worried about Sakura. But if that was the case, then why was he trembling? Why couldn't he shake this feeling? Why was his aura tingling the way it was?

He reached out to her and found her immediately. She was at home, but uneasy. She wasn't conscious, though. He could sense that because her aura was kind of fuzzy. It wasn't as clear as it was when she was awake, thinking. Still, he could feel that it was generally…well…it wasn't happy. Maybe she was having a bad dream. He frowned slightly. He wished that she didn't feel bad. He wished he could make it all better. He thought of calling, to make sure she was alright, but decided against it. He didn't want to wake her, even if she was having a nightmare. He'd be able to talk to her soon.

Syaoran rolled off his bed and pulled on some sweat bottoms. He knew he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep, so he figured he'd get some training in before getting ready for school.

It wasn't a premonition. She would know if it was one of those. So then what was it? And why did she have the same dream twice already. Could it just be a simple nightmare? What did it mean? And why was she trembling. _Because it was scary, baka! _It was useless to try to sleep anymore. It would just happen again. And it was already five in the morning. She decided to get up and start her day off early. Maybe a fresh start was what she needed.

She took a quick, refreshing shower and dressed for school. She looked herself over in the mirror. Even to herself, she looked a little bit tired. _Well, that's understandable considering how late I was up writing that report and how little sleep I got. I guess that just means I'll have to work a little harder today so that no one notices._ With that, she skipped down the stairs. It wasn't even six yet. Just as she was about to start breakfast, she had a great idea.

He vaguely heard the doorbell in the back of his mind. He was concentrating so hard that he dismissed it. Surely no one could be ringing his doorbell this early in the morning. There is such a thing a common courtesy. But when his bell rang for a second time, he stopped his katas and put down his sword. _Who the hell would be bothering me right…_ And with that he ran to the door, nearly tripping over his couch. She was just beyond his front door.

How could he not feel her coming? _She feels happy! Maybe that…whatever it was last night was just a nightmare._ And he flung the door open.

"Ohayo, Syaoran!" Her bubbly voice was like music to his ears.

At that very moment, she realized he wasn't wearing a shirt. Her eyes widened and she blushed fiercely.

"Sakura, what are you doing here?" He tried to slowly piece together the situation. First he noticed the bag she was carrying. But he was sidetracked by the slight shift in her aura. She was…um…what was that feeling?…kind of uneasy…but not in a really bad way…He looked at her face. She was a little red. Feverish? No…that wasn't it…so what could she…EMBARASSED? Yeah. That was it all right. But…_At what?_ he thought.

"Gomen. Is this a bad time? I didn't know you were training," she somehow managed to sputter out.

OOOOHHHH! Now it all made sense to him. He wasn't wearing a shirt. Wait a minute…_I'm not wearing a shirt! And she's standing right in front of me! And I'm all sweaty! _His eyes widened.

"Be right back!" he called as he shot around the corner, nearly knocking over a chair. He returned mere moments later wearing a shirt.

"I brought you some food!" She exclaimed happily, much like he had done the night before. Except she wasn't out of breath, or sweaty like he had been, because she hadn't sprinted halfway across town. Oh well, it had much of the same effect. He half-smiled. It wasn't a full-fledged grin, but it was a start.

"I decided that I had to repay you for what you did for me last night, so I resolved to make you breakfast this morning," she spoke as she wandered to his kitchen. She slowly removed the contents of her bag onto his counter. She brought eggs, bread, and some jams.

"You go get ready for school, and I'll do all the cooking," she stated simply. Then she trotted about his kitchen collecting the necessary cookware. Suddenly she looked up at him.  
"Well what are you standing around for? Go take a shower! You can't go to school dressed like that!" And with that she turned back around and continued with her work.

Something smelled really good in his apartment, and he couldn't wait to sink his teeth into whatever it was Sakura was cooking. Actually, he wouldn't mind sinking his teeth into her, but….he shook his head at any of those kinds of thoughts. Sakura was his _friend_, and her friendship was more important to him than anything in the world. His own selfish wishes were not going to ruin that. Besides, he was happy enough just seeing her in a better state than last night. And after that nightmare-thing, he was glad to see her acting like Sakura again.

He ran a hand through his unruly brown hair as if to somehow straighten it out, but to no avail. Oh well. He proceeded into the kitchen for what he knew was going to be one of those meals that no one gets nearly enough of.

"It smells delicious!" he exclaimed. "What is it?"

"Wouldn't you like to know…" she replied coyly.

"Yes, actually, I would." He attempted to make a move towards the food.

"Stop right there, mister. You take another step closer to my cooking and you'll get it over the head with a frying pan."

"Sounds like a risk I might be willing to take."

"Trust me, you don't wanna mess with me while I'm cooking, Syaoran. You just wait at the table until I'm done."  
"That doesn't sound very nice. The table is all lonely, and, after all, this is _my_ kitchen."

"Oh yeah? Well this is _my_ food, and if you don't go sit at the table, I might not give you any."

"Touché."

Mere moments later, he was greeted with a hot plate full of…

"French toast!" His mouth watered as the corner of his lips turned slightly upwards into a grin of sorts.

"I'm glad you approve," stated Sakura. She sat down across from him and they both began their breakfast.

"Any papers that are not in my hand right now are officially considered late, and your grade will be deducted as such."

"Yikes! Terada-sensei wasn't lying when he said 'NO LATE PAPERS!'" whispered Tomoyo.

"I know! I can't believe I ever got mine finished," replied Sakura.

"How did you do that, by the way?"

"I had a little help," Sakura answered mysteriously. Tomoyo raised an eyebrow at her but decided to let it go for the time being.

About twenty minutes before lunchtime, the class was working on conjugating English verbs. Syaoran glanced over at Sakura to find her staring blankly down at her paper.

The rest of the classroom just kind of went dark for a while. She wasn't really aware of anything at all. It was like she just shut down. And then she felt him poking at her. Her eyes widened for a second. _Pretend like nothing has happened. He can't sense that anything's wrong._

She turned to him and smiled brightly. She could tell he was slightly taken aback.

"Daijoubu desu ka?" he asked.

"I'm fine. Just deep in thought," she replied with a smile. _What is wrong with me! I hafta snap out of this! I'm FINE! NOTHING is wrong!_

Soon enough lunchtime rolled around. They were all happily chatting about the school newspaper. Sakura had signed on as a reporter and was currently working on an expose about cafeteria food. With her bold discoveries, she had opted to bring her own lunch. Just as Sakura was about to take a big bite out of her rice ball, she felt it. Her head shot up and met Syaoran's gaze immediately. Tomoyo, being extremely adept at calculating changes in mood, recognized that something was wrong. Realization dawned on her that there must be a Clow Card around. _How am I supposed to escape without everyone being suspicious? _Suddenly, Sakura sprang up from her seat.

"Hey! You guys wanna see a cool cheer move I just learned?"

"Yeah!" all the girls responded. Sakura shot Tomoyo a quick look as to say "Follow my lead…or else."

She backed up to get a running start, and then she was off! Like a rocket, she launched into a back handspring with a twist at the end followed directly by a tumble into a front flip. The minute she landed, she toppled to the floor clutching her ankle.

"AAAAH! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Oooooh! It HURTS! Mmmph!" She clenched her teeth together.

"Oh no! Sakura! Are you okay? Syaoran, you better carry her up to the nurses office," instructed Tomoyo.

"Right." And with that, the two were off. As soon as they got out of sight, Syaoran put Sakura down and they began running toward the aura of the Clow Card.

"Pretty quick thinking, Sakura."

"Why thank you."

"But your acting needs some improvement."

"Hey! _I _would have believed me."

"Yeah, but that's because you're so gullible."

"I resent that!"

"I know." Syaoran gave her a quirky grin.

They both stopped at that same moment. It was close. But where was it? They both looked around, but didn't see anything particularly out of place. There was no massive mayhem. Nothing out of the ordinary. And that's when they spotted it. A single red rose nestled safely in a long line of bushes.

"Is that it?" Sakura questioned.

"I guess so."

"What does it do?"

"How should I know?" They were tentative about moving any closer, but soon they slowly inched their way towards it.

"Maybe it's one of those friendly cards? Maybe it's related to the Flower Card!" suggested Sakura.

"Rose Card?" proposed Syaoran. But there was no effect. No card materialized. Just then, quick as a cat, something shot at Sakura's arm.

"Aaah!" She looked at where she had been hit and found a single thorn lodged deeply into her flesh. Both card captors looked silently at the rose before…

"Look out!" Syaoran gripped Sakura's shoulders and took them both to the ground mere milliseconds before three sharp thorns flew from the rose's stem right to where they had been standing.

"THORN CARD!" Sakura released her wand and aimed it at the pointy perpetrator. With a blast of wind, the tiny rose transformed into an elegant floating apparition. Its intentions, however, were clearly less than elegant as it hurled itself straight for the card mistress.

"JUMP CARD!" Thinking quickly, Sakura summoned her allied card and bounded away from the attack. Thorn, however, was not that easily deterred and followed right at Sakura's heels.

"It's too fast, Syaoran! Can you slow it down?" Sakura gasped while expertly dodging the rogue card.

"You got it!" Syaoran summoned his sword from the small pendant about his neck and conjured the forces of electricity to aid his friend in battle. The attack hit Thorn straight on, momentarily halting its assault. Sakura sprang to life, commanding the card to return to its confined, but not before Thorn launched its final blow. Just as it was being sealed, one large thorn shot forth from its vine-like appendage. Before Sakura knew what was happening, she collapsed onto the floor in agonizing pain. 

The now captured card floated silently next to Sakura as Syaoran ran to her side. He took one look at her leg, scooped her up in his arms, and started sprinting to his apartment. Sakura's body started shivering slightly. Her head was resting against his chest, her eyes slowly drooping closed. She hadn't yet seen her wound.

"What does it look like, Syaoran?" She whispered.

"Nothing too bad," he lied, "We just have to get it cleaned up, is all." In his head he was desperately trying to recall anything from biology that could help him out at the moment. His mind was reeling with so many thoughts. _It usually takes ten to fifteen minutes to get into the blood stream…we just got to get it out…she's gonna be fine…she's strong…there's so much blood…please don't die…NO! She's not going to…how am I supposed to help her?…baka, you'll find a way…you've dealt with poison before…she's going to be fine._

Sakura's eyes fell listlessly closed.

Bum Bum Bum! I know, I know. First I stop writing for a long time, and now I'm leaving you all with a cliffhanger. Sorry. I know I've probably lost a whole slue of my fans since my last story, but please review. I can't guarantee that I'll be able to continue writing immediately, but your reviews will definitely encourage me to try. I'd love to hear your thoughts, questions, comments, and (gasp) even flames about this fic. It's a lot different than my last one, I know, but I'm just trying something new. Also, if you haven't read my last fic, "Summer" please do. I really enjoyed writing it, and I hope you will enjoy reading it Thanks again for all your support. I wouldn't write if it weren't for my readers!


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